8 YEARS AGO
NEW YORK CITY

Emerald St. Clair's POV

"...okay class, that will be all. See you tomorrow."

I raised my arms upward to stretch my sore muscles. Thank goodness my classes were done for today.

"Hey, Em!" Mia, one of my friends in prep school, stood in front of my desk with a grin. "Let's grab some coffee before going home. Jasmine and Hannah are also coming."

"Sure." I grinned at my friend, placing my things back in my bag. Our classroom was almost empty, but I was not in a hurry to leave. I have nothing else to do at home anyway.

"How's Ruby?" Mia asked as we walked in the hallway of the school. My mind was already thinking about what to order once we were in the coffee shop just a few blocks from our school.

I glanced at her before answering. "She still has flu. I hope she'll be fine soon. Mom and Dad are already worried about her condition."

"Oh, I hope she'll be fine soon."

"Don't worry about her," I informed Mia with a devious smile, running my fingers through my long red hair. "She'll be back to her old self in a few days."

"O.M.G! You won't believe it." Jasmine squealed once they were near us in the hallway of the school.

I frowned at them. "What's going on?"

Hannah made a gesture of fanning herself using her hands. "There's a guy outside, and he is the most handsome man you'll ever see, I swear."

"Really?" Mia's eyes lit with curiosity. "He's really that handsome?"

"Yes!" Jasmine answered, sighing dreamily as if remembering the handsome guy outside our school. "He is a drop-dead-gorgeous-panty-dropper kind of guy, I tell you. And those spellbinding dark blue eyes—oh my..."

The three of them screamed like children who found out they were going to Disney Land for the first time.

I sighed deeply while shaking my head. "Girls..." I warned them, "...they are already giving us a weird look. I thought we were going to grab some coffee. Let's go."

"Do you think he has a girlfriend studying here?" Mia asked, completely ignoring me while we walked towards the exit of the school. "I mean, why is he waiting outside if not for his girlfriend, right?"

"I am not sure," Hannah answered with a sad sigh. "But I hope he doesn't have a girlfriend."

"Coffee before boys, remember?" I reminded them once we were outside the school gate.

"That's him," I heard Jasmine whisper to Mia. "Handsome, right?"

I unwillingly followed their gaze when my eyes collided with the guy who was leaning casually against the hood of his car with his arms crossed in the middle of his chest sanguinely. He politely ignored the not-so-subtle flirtatious smiles of the girls passing his direction, who were trying to get his attention.

My eyes narrowed instantly. Wait a minute. I knew this guy. He was an acquaintance of Ruby. If I am not mistaken, he's a prince somewhere in the Middle East if I remember my twin correctly when she talked about him the other night.

From what I could see, he was a few years older than me. He was not a high school student anymore but more of a college student, maybe.

A panty-dropping kind of smile, indeed, formed on his lips when he caught the sight of me. He carefully detached himself from the hood of his car and started walking in our direction.

"Hi, I've been waiting for you," he said when he was finally standing in front of me.

I looked around to ensure he was talking to me and that I was not just assuming myself here. "You're waiting for me?" I asked in confusion while my friends gave me a shocked look.

"Yes," he answered with a gorgeous smile on his face. "I'm here to pick you up for our coffee date."

Coffee date? What the hell is this guy talking about?

Oh, wait a damn minute. Don't tell me he mistook me for Ruby. Maybe he wasn't aware that the woman he got acquainted with had an identical twin sister. I was about to correct his error when an idea crossed my mind.

Why not let him believe that I am Ruby while I gather information about him to see if he's truly genuine about his intention toward my dear sister? I have to admit that I was a little bit overprotective when it came to my twin.

"Oh, right." I lied smoothly. I knew how to play this game. Ruby and I have done this before, switching once in a while, so I knew what to do about this. "Sorry, I forgot."

"That's okay. Shall we?"

I nodded at him with a sweet smile. "Just a moment. I will just inform my chauffeur about our coffee date."

He nodded in return as I went to the pavement where our family driver was patiently waiting for me. Before I could even reach my car, the chauffeur had already opened the passenger's seat at the back. "I have other plans, Mr. Woodlow. You can go home. I will call you later if I need a ride back home."

"All right, Miss. Take care."

I smiled at our trusted long-time family driver. "I will."

I went back to the guy with such fascinating cobalt eyes, who was, at the moment, under the scrutiny of my friends. They were unashamedly looking at him as if he was a delicious dessert worth their calories.

I shook my head in resignation. Sometimes I just want to disown my friends for showing such embarrassing behavior when a man is handsome.

"Let's go?" I asked brightly in his direction while silently glaring at my friends.

"Sure," he returned the smile at me. My breath was sucked out of my lungs when he rested his hand on my lower back as he guided me towards his waiting car. He even opened the door for me before sliding into the driver's side.

"Sorry about that," I apologized while putting the seatbelt around my body.

"About what?" he frowned at me, stopping halfway from putting his seatbelt around his body. He was staring at me with such intensity in his eyes.

I looked away when my heart started to beat irregularly, and I could feel my cheeks warm because of his intense gaze. "You know," I tried to take a measured breath. What's wrong with me? "Maybe my friends offended you moments ago."

"Oh, that?" he chuckled, which rocked my peaceful soul.

Oh, God. He's quite dangerous for my peace of mind. Maybe I made a mistake by playing along with his misconception about my identity. But before I had the chance to change my mind about this thing, he sprung the car to life and drove away from the school.

I cleared my throat, breaking the silence inside his car. "Your Highness..." I started since I didn't even know his name. I only know that he's a prince somewhere.

He smiled briefly in my direction before focusing his attention back on the road. "Drop the 'your highness' thing. Khalil is fine."

"Okay, Khalil..." I sampled his name on my lips. The words died in my mouth when I saw him looking at me with an unreadable expression in his eyes. "...what?"

He looked at me for a moment before releasing a nervous chuckle. "Damn, the way you say my name makes my heart tremble."

"Oh..." I was lost for words for a moment. Then I comprehended that he didn't mean me as Emerald. He probably thought that I was Ruby when he said that. For some reason, my heart constricted at the thought, but I just ignored it.

Why do I need to feel sad at the thought that this guy is probably liked by my twin sister? I need to make sure that he's a good man for Ruby. I have to remember the real agenda, why I pretended to be my sister in the first place.

After a few minutes of driving, we finally arrived at this trendy coffee shop. We slid out of the car at the same time, and my silly heart skipped a beat when he casually held my hand as we went inside the shop.

"Ahem, my hand, please..." I reminded him when he held my hand in his as if he had every right to do so.

"It's okay," he answered with a smirk on his face. "I'd like to hold your hand, so the guys know you are with me."

There goes my stupid heart again. He meant Ruby, not you, Emerald. Get a grip, girl, I reminded myself harshly. Do not get swayed by his words. Those words were meant for your twin sister. You have to remember that.

I looked away from his intense gaze while my cheeks flamed with heat again. I have a suitor in school, and I think I even like him, but he cannot make me feel the way this Khalil guy is attracted to my twin.

"What do you want to order?" he asked, dragging me out of my reverie.

I glanced at him before looking at the menu above the counter. "Um...I'd like a Java Chip Frappe and a slice of cheesecake, please."

While still holding my hand, he asked for himself a cup of espresso and paid the woman behind the counter.

"That's all you're having?" I asked, raising an eyebrow in his direction.

He nodded with a smile. "I don't like sweets."

"Cheesecake is not that sweet for a dessert compared to a regular chocolate cake," I informed him thoughtfully.

He shook his head ruefully while his eyes were bored to me. "Still too sweet for me. I don't like desserts. They ruin my palate."

Once we placed our orders, we went to the vacant table near the glass window. Khalil sat across from me, and as usual, his intense gaze solely focused on my face as if deciphering the thoughts inside my head.

"Stop looking at me like that." I protested, looking away from his gaze. "You are making me uncomfortable with your stare."

"Forgive me." He said without an ounce of sincerity in his voice, still looking at my face with ferocity. "I like looking at your face, and I can't believe that you're sitting in front of me."

I looked at him for a moment. "Huh? I don't think I understand you."

He smiled wistfully in my direction. "I didn't think I'd ever be this close to you. You seemed hard to approach when we first met."

He was talking about Ruby. I reminded myself firmly. 

"So you like me then?" I teased him, silently investigating if he liked my twin sister. I still don't fully trust him for Ruby since I am getting this Playboy Prince vibe from him. What if he breaks my sister's heart? 

My face darkened at the thought. Well, if that happens, I will personally break his face and legs, I swear.

He exhaled a deep breath before answering, looking directly into the depth of my eyes. "Yes. I like you a lot."

My ridiculous heart started hammering in my chest. Thankfully, our order arrived to save my reply to him. I immediately sipped my Frappe since I had been craving this the whole day, and then I sampled my cheesecake. I nearly groaned when a rich and creamy taste hit my palate. I savored the taste.

I found Khalil looking at me with unreadable eyes. "What?"

"Is that really that tasty?" he asked with wonder in his voice.

I stared at him halfway from taking another forkful slice of cake in my mouth. "You mean the cheesecake?"

"Yes."

I grinned at him merrily, showing him my fork filled with the creamy cake. "Yep. It's worth every calorie, I tell you."

He surprised me when he suddenly guided my hand holding the fork with cheesecake into his mouth.

My mouth hung open in his direction, staring at him in disbelief. "I thought you didn't like sweet desserts."

"I don't," he confirmed to me, swallowing the cake and sipping his coffee. "I am just curious because the cake got such an expression from you. I want to know what it tastes like." 

"Oh?" I couldn't help the smile that slipped onto my lips. "So how was it then? The cheesecake, I mean?"

"Still too sweet for me," he answered with brutal honesty. He supported his face with his palm while his elbow rested on the table. He looked at me as if I was the most fascinating creature he had ever seen in his life. "But I bet..." I heard him saying, "...your lips taste the sweetest."

I dropped the fork in my hand and stared at him skeptically. "W-What...d-did you say?"

Before meeting my gaze, he looked down at my lips for a long moment. He grinned at me boyishly. "I said, I want to kiss you. Will you let me?"

Would she? I mean, would I let him kiss me? When he doesn't even have the slightest idea that I am not even Ruby. I am just pretending to be my twin sister now. Besides, do I even want to be kissed by him?

I gave him a playful smile while trying to hide my nervousness. "Are you flirting with me?"

"If I say yes, is it working?"

I just shrugged nonchalantly, ignoring the way my heart behaved at the moment. "Of course not. I am not one of those girls that you can kiss on a first date."

He clicked his tongue as he sat back from his chair. "Ah, a pity then. When the girl looks so darn pretty in her prep school uniform."

I only managed to shake my head in disbelief. I leaned forward at the table to study him fully. "You're something. Do you know that, Khalil?"

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" He did the same until our faces met halfway on the table. There were only a few inches that separated our mouths from touching. From this close distance, I can already see how magnificent his eyes are. 

"I am not sure," I told him, putting some distance between us. 

He was silent for a moment. "Do you have any plans for this weekend?"

Of course. The St. Clair grandchildren must spend their weekends at Granddad's estate in the Hamptons.

"Why do you ask?" I inquired at him offhandedly.

He smiled at me. His eyes gleamed with delight. "I'd like to invite you on a date if you're not busy."

I raised an eyebrow in his direction. "Like a coffee date again?"

He shook his dark head with a secretive smile on his mouth. "No. Something like a real date this time."

"Oh." I got curious and excited at the same time. It didn't dampen my excitement even if I reminded myself that he was asking Ruby and not me to go on a date with him. I am sure one more date will not hurt, right? "Where are we going then?"

"It's a secret," he answered with a smirk. "But I am sure you'll enjoy it."

After a slight hesitation, I smiled at him. "Okay. It's a date then."

"Great!" he beamed at me. "I'll pick you up on Saturday."

Careful, Emerald. A voice inside my head had warned. Don't play with fire if you don't want to get burned.